Negotiation Tips No. 112 Third party influence I generally keep well away from political negotiations. I much prefer the smell of money when Im negotiating. There is one technique that commercial negotiators can learn from their colleagues and thats the use of third party influence. Very rarely does any political negotiation involve just two parties. There will be the media, government, other political parties, non governmental organisations, public opinion and many more. All these agencies can influence the outcome. Remember the next time youre cutting a commercial deal if theres any way that you can use a third party to exert influence on your behalf. A judicious press leak could be all you need to persuade the other party to agree. A telephone call to an interested party might give you some extra leverage. Dont see deals in a vacuum. Look at the context and the environment and see how you might be able to use it to your advantage. © Tom Beasor 2001

Sales Tips No. 92 Sunset Its a busy and competitive world and its getting faster and more competitive. What used to be acceptable is no longer so. Taking two weeks to send a proposal or quotation through the post is too long. 48 hours by is the maximum now. Sales people and account managers have to adapt to this. You must be completely contactable all the time. Remember that if a client isnt talking to you theyre probably talking to the opposition. Mobile telephones are now global and you can always get back to people quickly. My home phone is always switched through to my mobile when Im away from home. Just once in the last five years was I uncontactable. I was in a third world country with no s, faxes or phone calls readily available. It cost me a five figure sum in lost business and that scar remains with me. Heres a rule: never let the sun set on an unanswered phone call, fax or , especially those from clients or prospects. Its a simple idea and shouldnt be too tough to implement. © Tom Beasor 2001

Management Tips No. 40 Concert Pianists Most concert pianists have spent at least 10,000 hours practising before they have reached the level of proficiency required to perform in public. To make that figure more real, its the equivalent of practising for 6 hours and 40 minutes on each of 300 days per year for 5 years! How good could you be at anything if you spent that much time practising and if you had the dedication to try it? Pick one thing that youve always wanted to be better at and give yourself 10 hours to get started. Youll be amazed at what you can achieve. I did it with touch typing and I didnt even need the whole 10 hours before I could get good enough to type this tip at 30 words per minute. I know many people who dont have the computer skills that they would want. They could easily get to a good level of competence with 10 one hour sessions. Its not a matter of competence just effort. Why not have a go. © Tom Beasor 2001